Abstract: Garments may include signaling devices. The signaling device may be configured to indicate to a user that a body fluid is present in the garment. The garment may include a chassis including an outer cover having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The chassis may include a crotch region positioned in between a front region and a back region. The garment may also include a signaling device including at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal.

Abstract: Garments may include signaling devices. The signaling device may be configured to indicate to a user that a body fluid is present in the garment. The garment may include a chassis including an outer cover having an interior surface and an exterior surface. The chassis may include a crotch region positioned in between a front region and a back region. The garment may also include a signaling device including at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compressed package of articles having a packaging component with a seal, and a plurality of compressible articles in an array having an uncompressed length. The compressible articles are compressed to a first compressed state having a first compressed length and disposed within the packaging component in the first compressed state. The packaging component retains the plurality of compressible articles in the first compressed state, and the packaging component and the plurality of compressible articles in the first compressed state form a package having a first package volume. Vacuum compression is used to compress the packaging component and the plurality of compressible articles in the first compressed state disposed in the packaging component together to a second compressed state having a second package volume. The array of compressible articles has a second compressed length after the vacuum compression.

Abstract: A method of detecting the presence of an insult within an absorbent article is disclosed. An electrical property is monitored and the electrical property is compared to a wet/dry threshold value to determine either a wet characteristic or a dry characteristic of the article. If a dry characteristic, then a first and possibly a second test are applied. If a wet characteristic, then the second test is applied. The electrical property is compared to a first threshold value and a second threshold value is set based upon the function of the comparison. A change in the electrical property of the article is monitored to determine if the electrical property has stabilized after activation of an insult alarm.

Abstract: A method of detecting the presence of an insult in an absorbent article. An electrical property of the article is measured and either a proportional difference or a rate of change of the electrical property is determined. The proportional difference or the rate of change is compared to a difference indicator value and a rate indicator value, respectively, to determine the presence of an insult in the article.

Abstract: A method of determining the presence of an insult in an absorbent article is disclosed. The amount of time that elapses between the activation of an alarm and the determination of the presence of a subsequent insult is determined. This elapsed time is compared to a time threshold value and either an insult alarm or a saturation alarm is activated as a function of the comparison. After activation of the alarm for an alarm period, the electrical property of the article is determined at a second time occurring at least a preset period after the end of the alarm period to allow the electrical property to stabilize before determining the electrical property.

Abstract: In a method of a caregiver interactively toilet training a wearer of a disposable absorbent article, in response to liquid insult of the article a tactile signal is perceptible from within the article, a corresponding similar tactile signal is perceptible from an exterior of the article, and an active graphic is visually perceptible at the exterior of the article which relates to both the tactile signal and the corresponding tactile signal to thereby communicate the insult event to the caregiver and provide an interactive toilet training opportunity. An absorbent article of the present invention generally has a tactile signal tactilely perceptible from the inner surface of the article and a corresponding tactile signal tactilely perceptible from the exterior of the article. An active graphic is located adjacent the outer cover and is externally visually perceptible and relates to both tactile signals to provide an interactive toilet training opportunity.

Abstract: A methodology is provided for fault detection and service restoration in a multiservice switch on a per flow basis. An ingress source transmits the same data over each of two redundant cores. An egress receiver selects on a per flow bass which core to utilize. Bi-directional flows are not necessarily grouped together. The basic approach to fault detection is to assume that the two cores are not in lock step, but that the shelves are continually monitoring link flows for control path data as well as user data. The path monitoring is accomplished using a combination of arbiter and aggregator functions found in the service shelves and core interface cards, respectively. The arbiter transmits link test cells to both cores on a per flow basis, wherein the link test cells traverse and are monitored by respective aggregators to and from each core. When an egress arbiter determines that a flow is bad, it initiates a switch to the alternative source core, from which the flow would continue.

Abstract: Absorbent articles incorporating a wetness sensor for indicating the presence of a body fluid are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles include at least two conductive elements that form an open circuit within the article. Each conductive element is connected to a conductive pad member that has sufficient surface area in order to facilitate connection to a signaling device. In accordance with the present disclosure, various attachment mechanisms are disclosed for attaching the pad members to a signaling device. In particular, although the absorbent articles are disposable, the signaling device is intended to be used with multiple absorbent articles. Therefore, a simple and efficient method of connecting the signaling device to the pad members provides various advantages. In one particular embodiment, for instance, the pad members comprise a conductive loop-type material that is attached to a corresponding conductive hook-type material on the signaling device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a temperature change member. In addition to the temperature change member, the article may include an outercover, with a liner and/or an absorbent body disposed on the outercover. The temperature change member has a geometric mean of the mean deviation of coefficient of friction that is less than about 0.0275 when tested at the surface intended to face a wearer.

Abstract: Absorbent articles incorporating a wetness sensor for indicating the presence of a body fluid are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles include at least two conductive elements that form an open circuit within the article. Each conductive element is connected to a conductive pad member that has sufficient surface area in order to facilitate connection to a signaling device. In accordance with the present disclosure, various attachment mechanisms are disclosed for attaching the pad members to a signaling device. In particular, although the absorbent articles are disposable, the signaling device is intended to be used with multiple absorbent articles. Therefore, a simple and efficient method of connecting the signaling device to the pad members provides various advantages. In one particular embodiment, for instance, the pad members comprise a conductive loop-type material that is attached to a corresponding conductive hook-type material on the signaling device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a temperature change member for providing a cooling effect. The temperature change member includes a matrix of fibers and temperature change material intermixed within the matrix of fibers. The temperature change material includes erythritol.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for modulating an immune response comprising contacting an immune cell with an agent that modulates BTF4 or B7-L1 mediated signaling. BTF4 or B7-L1 mediated signaling may either be increased, to thereby downregulate the immune response, or alternatively may be decreased, to upregulate the immune response. Modulation may be either activation or inhibition, and contacting may occur in vivo or in vitro. Performance of this method in vivo is also potentially therapeutic for an individual who may benefit from the upregulation or downregulation of an immune response. Such modulation to downregulate the immune response serves as a therapeutic e.g., for an individual who has received an organ transplant, or has a condition such as an allergy, or an autoimmune disorder. Alternatively, modulation to upregulate the immune response serves as a therapeutic for an individual, e.g., who has a condition such as an immunosuppressive disorder or a tumor.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a temperature change member. The temperature change member includes a matrix of fibers and temperature change material intermixed within the matrix of fibers.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a temperature change member. The temperature change member includes a matrix of fibers and temperature change material intermixed within the matrix of fibers.

Abstract: In some forms of the invention, an absorbent article (e.g., training pants) includes an impermeable cover, an absorbent body and a temperature change member disposed with the absorbent body. The absorbent article further includes a liquid retarding member that is disposed with the temperature change member to temporarily maintain liquid in the temperature change member. The liquid retarding member is formed of a liquid dispersible material such that the liquid retarding member eventually dissolves in the liquid and flows into the absorbent body. In other forms, the absorbent article includes a liquid retarding member that is adjacent to a temperature change member which is formed of a matrix of fibers. The liquid retarding member has a hydrohead that is less than about 0.13 pounds per inch squared such that the liquid retarding member temporarily maintains at least some of the liquid in proximity to the temperature change member.

Abstract: Disclosed is an absorbent article including a temperature change member. In addition to the temperature change member, the article can include an outercover, and an absorbent body disposed on the outercover. The temperature change member includes temperature change material that is disposed in a temperature change composite in a nonuniform distribution.

Abstract: The present invention is a methodology for controlled switchover of unicast and multicast data flows in packet based switching system. In some cases it is advantageous to purposefully support switchover of flows from one path to the other without causing loss of data. This is termed a “controlled” or “hitless” switchover. In accordance with the present invention switchover methodology, given that an ingress arbiter device is transmitting to both cores simultaneously, it is required that the flows to both switching cores be synchronized at an aggregator level and that an egress arbiter be given time to cease receiving packets from one Core then switch over to the other Core, and continue receiving packets.

Abstract: In a method of toilet training a wearer of a disposable absorbent article, an active graphic visually perceptible from within the interior of the article is activated in response to liquid insult of the article and at least one other signal perceptible from at least one of the interior and the exterior of the article is provided in response to liquid insult of the article. An absorbent article of the present invention generally has a first insult indicator with an active graphic visually perceptible from the inner surface of the article that is responsive to a liquid insult of the absorbent article to provide a signal perceptible from the inner surface of the article. A second insult indicator is responsive to the liquid insult of the absorbent article to provide a signal perceptible from at least one of the inner surface of the article and exterior of the article.

Abstract: An absorbent article including a temperature change member is disclosed. The absorbent article may define a front region, a rear region, a crotch region intermediate the front and rear regions. The article may include an outercover, an absorbent assembly front portion disposed intermediate the outercover and the liner in the front region. The article may also include an absorbent assembly rear portion disposed intermediate the outercover and the liner in the rear region and at least partially spaced from the absorbent assembly front portion to provide a first gap. The article further includes a temperature change member disposed in the first gap.